Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
1-5
Villanova
3-1
Late Surge Lifts Villanova Past Bucknell Men, 69-45
12/1/2001 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
VILLANOVA, Pa. - Gary Buchanan scored a game-high 24 points, including eight straight during a decisive 19-2 second-half run that lifted Villanova to a 69-45 victory over Bucknell Saturday afternoon at The Pavilion.
Villanova first-year head coach Jay Wright, a 1983 Bucknell graduate, received a scare from his alma mater, as the Bison trailed by only 10 points with 11 minutes to play.
Bucknell fell to 1-5 on the season, while Villanova improved to 3-1 with a win in the first meeting between the teams since 1948.
Bison sophomore guard Chris Rodgers, a native of nearby Norristown, Pa., scored a career-high 12 points on 4 of 6 shooting from the field and added four assists and three steals in 25 minutes off the bench.
Buchanan's 3-pointer gave Villanova its largest lead of 18 points at 50-32 with 13:43 remaining, but the Bison finally got their inside game going and scored eight straight points over the next 2:11 to pull within 10 at 50-40. Lalugba broke free for a dunk, Ben Slater scored inside and Matt Quinn hit a long three to key the run.
That was as close as Bucknell could get, however, as the Wildcats answered with seven straight points on a pair of Ricky Wright tip-ins and a three-point play by Marcus Austin. After a Lalugba inside bank shot quelled the run, Buchanan drained his fourth and fifth treys of the day and an 8-foot leaner to help Villanova build a 23-point cushion at 65-42 with 3:23 remaining. The Bison managed only the one field goal over a span of 10:36 after pulling within 10 and were outscored 19-2 during that decisive stretch.
Bucknell hung around in the first half thanks to a barrage of 3-point baskets. Rodgers and Dan Blankenship nailed three treys apiece as the Bison canned 6 of 10 from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes.
Villanova used a 17-2 run to spread a slim 17-14 lead to 34-16 with 2:34 remaining in the half. Center Brooks Sales had three inside buckets during the spurt as the Wildcats outscored Bucknell 22-0 in the paint in the first half.
Bucknell closed the first period on an 8-2 run, with Rodgers sinking a pair of threes to improve to 6-for-6 in his career from beyond the arc. The Bison trailed 36-24 at halftime, with Blankenship and Rodgers accounting for 21 of Bucknell's 24 points.
Lalugba finished with 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds, while Blankenship scored 10 points, all in the first half, for Bucknell. The Bison shot only 28 percent (14-50) from the field but played well defensively, forcing 17 Villanova turnovers and coming up with a season-high 10 steals. The Wildcats shot 54.2 percent (26-48) from the floor and drained 6 of 11 3-pointers, buoyed by a 5-for-7 effort from Buchanan from long range.
Bucknell played its third straight game without All-Patriot League guard Bryan Bailey, who is out with an ankle injury, while Villanova went without the services of starting forward Reggie Bryant, who served a one-game suspension for a team violation.
The Bison resume competition on Wednesday at home against Albany at 7:30 p.m.
